“It all depends on how Zhane reacted,” Jenny told him, looking at
Zhane
out of the corner of her eye.

“Why did you marry him anyway?” Zhane asked.

“He forced me into it. The necklace was cursed; it had me under a
spell. The curse is also how my dad came back as a zombie.”

The Rangers and Spices finished their breakfast.

“Well, I’d better check on my ankle,” Jenny said, standing up slowly.
“Ow!” She hopped out of the room on one foot.

The Cryptkeeper rushed after her. “Here, let me help you.” He put
her
arm around his shoulder and walked with her into the first aid room.
When they got there, Jenny touched her wound. It felt wet.

“Uh-oh, something’s wrong,” she said. She lifted her leg onto the
table, took off her shoe and sock, and rolled up her pants leg to
reveal
the bite. There were two large teethmarks in her ankle with black
fluids and green puss oozing out. The surrounding area was red and
very
swollen.

“Ouch,” the Cryptkeeper mumbled. “That is disgusting.”

“And it hurts,” Jenny said.

“Any idea what you’re going to do about it?”

“Not really. I do remember my grandmother telling me that soaking
open
wounds in salt water is helpful.”

“Your grandmother? On whose side?” the Cryptkeeper asked.

“My dad’s side, of course,” Jenny told him. “So I’m just going to go
down to the beach and see what happens.”

“Okay. See you when you get back.”

Thus, Jenny left the Megaship and headed for the beach. When she
arrived, she soaked her ankles in the ocean. The other people saw and
recognized her, but they kept their distance. The Spices were still
feared by many, but people knew that they’re peaceful if left alone.

As the salt water made contact with Jenny’s ankle, it caused a sharp
sting. Jenny clenched her fists and grabbed her head, breathing
heavily
to hold in her screams of pain.

After a few minutes, Jenny heard the other people screaming. She
looked around and saw the people scrambling out of the ocean covered
with black spots. She also noticed a red sea creature on the shore.

“Hey everybody!” he called. “Glad to see you’re enjoying yourselves.”

Ignoring the pain in her ankle, Jenny stormed up to the creature.

“Go get him, Tonfa Spice!” a man called.

“What did you do to those people!?” Jenny demanded.

“The same thing I’m going to do to you,” the monster replied.

“No, no, seriously, what did you do?”

“Oh, all right, I sprayed toxin in the ocean. Sheesh.....happy now?”

Jenny looked down at her ankle. “Perfect,” she growled. “My
puss-filled slumber snakebite is now filled with toxin! It’s not
making
me happy.” She paused and thought for a moment. “Tonight, my friends
and I will be hungry. Guess who’s on the plate. Although I’m not a
big
fan of seafood, I’m sure my friends will dig right in.”

The sea creature fired an energy blast from his mouth. Jenny ducked
just in time to avoid it. Then she stood up and punched the creature
in
the abdomen. Both quickly recovered, they they blocked each other’s
attacks repeatedly. When Jenny threw a high kick, the monster grabbed
her ankle, then flipped her over onto her stomach. He leaped upward
and
stomped on her spine. Jenny cried out in pain as the monster leaped
again. This time, Jenny rolled aside to avoid being stomped on again.
She caught the monster with a leg sweep as she stood up. The monster
stood up as well.

“Your skills disappoint me, woman,” he said.

“Oh well!” Jenny yelled. “Your goose is cooked anyway.”

She lowered her stance. Her eyes gave a yellow flash, then she turned
into a flaming panther. She charged right through the creature,
causing
it to explode, then she returned to her human form and stood up.

“Yeah, she spends most of her time alone,” the Cryptkeeper told her.
“She never did have any friends in her past life.”

“Why not?” Zhane asked.

“I dunno. Well, I’m going to spend some time with Jenny.” C.K. got
up
and left to follow Jenny. The Spice leader was writing another diary
entry.

Dear Diary,

My ankle is still sore from the slumber snakebite. While soaking in
the salt water, I found out that it was contaminated by this sea
creature called a Crocotox. Now Darkonda wants me to meet him at his
lab in less than an hour....

“Close the diary; I’m coming in!” the Cryptkeeper called.

Jenny closed her diary with a chuckle.

“So what really happened at the beach?” C.K. asked.

“Well, there was this sea creature that was spraying toxin into the
ocean,” Jenny explained. “That didn’t help my ankle at all..”

“I hear that. Made it worse, huh?”

“Luckily, I don’t think my ankle could’ve gotten any worse. Anyway,
when I killed that thing, all the people swimming around were cured.
But I was warned that there were thousands more, so do you think that
you guys can get rid of them while I’m at this appointment?”

“Wanna go kick some ass on the Simudeck?” the Cryptkeeper asked.
Jenny chuckled. “I’d like to, but my ankle will kill me if I do.”

“Then you wanna do something else on the Simudeck?”

“Like what?”

“Uh.....table tennis? Cards? Pool?”

“Pool! I’ve always liked that game, yet I never had the chance to
play,” Jenny said.

“Then let’s play!”

The pair went to the Simudeck and played their game of pool. Since
they were both lousy players, the single game took much longer than
anticipated. In fact, the hour was gone before the game ended.

Jenny was about to make a shot when she glanced at her watch.

“Son of a.....” she gasped. “Stop simulation!”

“Hey!” the Cryptkeeper cried.

“It’s time,” Jenny said. “I gotta go, or I’ll be late!”

She limped to the jump tube as fast as she could. She slid through
the
yellow tube. The Rangers heard her yelling.

“Whooooaaaah!!”

“She’s oddly excited about this appointment,” Ashley commented.

“Yeah, I thought everybody hated appointments,” T.J. added.

“Did she ever say what kind of appointment it was?” Spinal asked.

“Well, she said that the salt water didn’t help her ankle, so it must
be a doctor’s appointment,” Carlos said.

They all shrugged their shoulders and went back to their business.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny went on to Darkonda’s lab on her galaxy glider. The
lab was located inside what looked like a warehouse. Jenny didn’t
notice the Crocotox that was standing at the entrance.

“Hey, an intruder!” he called.

Jenny flew right over the creature’s head and into the warehouse.
Another Crocotox was waiting inside. He fired some sort of green
energy
to use as a trap. When Jenny saw the energy wall, she gasped and
leaned
back to stop the galaxy glider. She wasn’t slowing down fast enough,
so
she hopped off her glider. She landed on her feet, but the pain in her
ankle caused her to fall down upon landing. She held her ankle,
groaning in pain.

“Hee hee, we got her!” the Crocotox exclaimed.

Jenny stood up slowly and walked peacefully.

“Hey, where’s she going?” the creature wondered.

Jenny approached the door to Darkonda’s lab. There was a sign that
read, “Do not enter; knock first.” Jenny raised her knuckle to the
door, but she couldn’t bring herself to knock. She took a deep breath,
then knocked on the door with the “Shave and a Haircut” rythym. She
waited anxiously for an answer.

Darkonda answered the door seconds later. “Ah, Tonfa Spice, how nice
of you to arrive on schedule. Please come in.”

He led Jenny to a glass box where there were strange objects soaking
in
some kind of liquid. Jenny looked at them in confusion.

“Ugh.....what are they?” she asked.

“They’re Crocotox eggs. Crocotoxes, like the one you destroyed at the
beach, that will capture the Earth. Then I’ll be the next ruler of the
universe. My request of you is, will you be their mother?”

“You want ME to be the mother of these......eggs???”

“Precisely. Also, when I become ruler of the universe, I will no
doubt
be lonely. So, I would like you to rule with me.”

“The whole universe? Just the two of us?”

“Yeah. It’ll be great!” Darkonda said.

Jenny broke out laughing. “Yeah right! We can’t possibly rule the
entire universe! Do you have any idea how vast it is? It’ll take us
at
least a millenium just to reach the other end of this galaxy!”

“We don’t have to go anywhere. We’ll send the Crocotoxes all over the
universe to help us rule.”

“No.....I can’t.....”

“Why not?” Darkonda asked.

“Well......can I be frank?” Jenny asked.

Darkonda grinned. “By all means,” he said sweetly.

“I just don’t see the point.”

“Well.....how about the Crocotoxes? Will you be the mother they need?”

“Oh no. I’m not going to sit on those things like a chicken,” Jenny
told him.

Darkonda laughed. “Amusing, my sweet, but you don’t have to sit on
them. They are maturing as we speak.”

“I’m also not going to end up like my own mother, who raised a bunch
of
spoiled children,” Jenny added.

“Oh look, I think one is about to hatch.” Darkonda picked up the
hatching egg and handed it to Jenny. She held the egg reluctantly in
her hands. Soon, the baby Crocotox emerged from its shell, cooing.

“Aww.....how cute,” Jenny commented, tickling the newborn monster’s
head. Then she looked back at the grown-up Crocotoxes. “That
is.....until they grow up.”

She continued to play with the little gator for a moment. Suddenly,
it
bit her finger. She screamed in pain, flapping her hands. Amazingly,
the newborn Crocotox maintained its hold. Finally, Jenny grabbed the
critter and ripped it off. Darkonda grasped her hand and looked
closely
at the teethmarks.

“Darkonda......what’s going to happen to me this time?” Jenny asked.

“Have no fear, my princess,” her husband assured her. “Its toxins
have
not yet been developed, so it should be harmless......for now.”

“For now?”

“Your finger will be all right.”

“Okay.” Jenny looked at the baby Crocotox, then placed it in the
transparent container with the other eggs. The little creature began
to
swim around.

“So, what do you say, my love?” Darkonda asked.

“Say......about what?” Jenny asked.

“You see, we both have many enemies,” Darkonda explained. “We both
have Ecliptor, then I have the Power Rangers, and you have your mother
and Dark Specter. They have all tried to destroy us; they have all
failed. Only we have survived, so we should be the next rulers of the
universe. With the help of our children, the Crocotoxes, the
possibilities are endless!”

“Hmm......so is the universe, Darkonda. I can’t rule the entire
universe!”

“Don’t worry; I’ll help you.”

“No.....it’s impossible! As I’ve said before, it’s quite pointless,”
Jenny told him. “Instead of taking over the universe, why don’t you
try
living in it? It’s something I never got the chance to do. Not even
Dark Specter can rule the ENTIRE universe. Even he can’t be in two
places at once.”

Neither of them noticed a Crocotox sneaking up on them. It crawled up
to Jenny and looked at her ankles.

“Oooh, nice socks,” he said.

Jenny looked down, confused.

“What’s this black stuff?” the monster asked, touching Jenny’s wounded
ankle. In response, Jenny cried out and stumbled away from him and
into
Darkonda.

"Don't touch it! It hurts!"

"What's wrong?" Darkonda asked.

"My ankle is still sore from the slumber snakebite," Jenny told him.
"Well, I need to get going."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to be a mother?"

"Yes, I'm positive. But......if you really want to raise those
things,
just go ahead and do it. Don't let me stop you. Also, don't get too
upset if I end up destroying those things."

Jenny started to walk out of the laboratory.

"Catch you next time, my love," Darkonda called.

Jenny giggled as she left.

Part Two

“Hey, Andros, is there anything besides this giant stingray on the
Simudeck?” Earl asked.

“There are Craterites,” Andros replied.

“No, no....we need a monster that can move. We need a challenge.”

“There are no other monster programmed into the Simudeck,” Deca
explained.

“Well......I’ll work on something,” Andros said.

“Okay......in the meantime, who wants to be my sparring partner?”

“I’ll do it!” the Cryptkeeper called. “Let’s go, boy!”

“Your move.”

Jenny walked into the room at that moment.

“Hey, what happened?” Carlos asked.

“Real helpful,” Jenny said sarcastically. “I should’ve known. What
do
they know about alien snakebites?”

“Did they say anything?”

“They just said not to use my ankle, but that’s impossible! We have
monsters to defeat.”

“We have trouble at the beach,” T.J. called suddenly.

The Rangers and Spices headed for the jump tubes.

“Probably another Crocotox,” Jenny thought.

They teleported to the beach. It was indeed another Crocotox attack.
Again, the people scrambled to escape as the heroes ran forward to face
the sea creatures.

“All right, ugly, you’re going down!” Andros shouted.

“Hmph; this should be a piece of cake,” Jenny mumbled.

The Crocotox fired an energy blast, knocking everyone back.

“Follow me if you want more,” the monster said.

Andros, Zhane, and Jenny ran after it. Andros grabbed the monster’s
shoulders. The creature turned and fought the two Rangers. They both
kicked the monster simultaneously. Jenny moved in with a punch, but
the
Crocotox grabbed her wrist and punched her in the stomach. Still
holding her wrist, the monster embraced her suddenly. Everyone else
gasped in shock.

“Mama....” the Crocotox said softly. He kissed Jenny squarely on the
lips. She staggered back and fell. The Rangers checked on her. Jenny
scrambled to her feet and spit out a mouthful of black toxin.

“Yuck!” she cried.

The others now attacked the monster. When T.J. threw a kick, the
monster grabbed his ankle and threw him down.

“Let’s double-team him,” Ashley suggested. She and Jenny both threw a
punch, then Zhane moved in with a side kick.

“What a gentleman,” Ashley sighed.

“Thank you,” Zhane said with a smile. He went on to battle the
monster. He did a tremendous leap, landing on the side of a boulder.

“Wow!” Ashley cried.

“Wow.....” Jenny muttered sarcastically.

Zhane leaped off the rock and kicked the monster.

“Am I awesome or what!?” he called.

“Pretty good, Zhane,” Jenny said.

“Here, let me show you something else....” The Silver Ranger charged
at the Crocotox, but it punched his stomach, then elbowed his back.
Zhane got up and ran to his friends.

“Zhane, you have to be patient when fighting,” Jenny told him.
“Watch.”

She approached the monster slowly. She stopped several feet away and
waved in greeting. “Hi.”

The Crocotox just stared. Without warning, Jenny punched it brutally
in the chest. Zhane just snickered.

“Well, wait ‘til you see this,” he said. “Super Silverizer!” He ran
up to the sea creature and sliced it with his weapon.

“What is this, some sort of contest?” Spinal asked.

“Oh yeah? Well, check this out!” Jenny charged at the monster with
an
uppercut, swung her flaming sticks three times, then leaped and
extended
her knee, sending the monster up. As it came down, Jenny threw a chain
of three yellow fireballs the size of baseballs. The fireballs slammed
into the Crocotox, knocking him back even farther.

“Good one, Sis!” Hallie cried.

“I’ll bet you can’t beat this trick, Jenny,” Zhane called. He got
down
on one knee and aimed his weapon. Suddenly, his Ranger costume
vanished. Zhane looked down at his body, confused.

Jenny laughed. “You’re right, Zhane. That’s one trick I can’t beat.”

Zhane looked up at her. “Very funny.....”

The Rangers pulled out their Astro Blasters and fired. Seconds later,
the Crocotox was destroyed.

“Zhane, what happened?” Andros asked.

“I don’t know,” Zhane said. “I just......demorphed.”

“We’d better get back to the Megaship,” Ashley said. “Anyway, you do
have some great moves.”

*Show-off,* Jenny thought.

The warriors returned to the Megaship.

* * *

The Rangers spent about an hour trying to locate Darkonda's lab. They
searched a certain part of the galaxy. The results......

"Multiple life forms detected," Deca announced.

Jenny came onto the bridge. "Hello, everybody."

"Jenny, we think we know where Darkonda's lab is," Cassie said.

"You think?" Jenny asked. "You shouldn't have had to search; we've
been there before. Remember?"

Jenny turned to Zhane and smiled, then left the bridge. Zhane
followed.

* * *

Both Tonfa Spice and the Silver Ranger took their gliders and headed
to
Darkonda's lab. They encountered the same trap that Jenny had
encountered before, with the green light barrier. Zhane simply lowered
his glider and turned it into his Silver Cycle while Jenny once again
hopped off her glider. This time, she landed on the Cycle behind
Zhane.
Zhane was startled. He drove on, zapped a hole in the wall, and
crashed
through. They stopped, climbed off, and headed towards the container
of
Crocotox eggs.

"Well, I'll let you have the honors," Zhane said, pulling out his
Astro
Blaster and handing it to Jenny.

Jenny aimed the Blaster at the eggs. She couldn't bring herself to
fire. These creatures may end up being evil, but they're still babies.
Jenny couldn't help thinking about how the newborn Crocotox swam in the
liquid before; it was just so cute.

"I can't do it," she muttered.

"Gimme that!" Zhane cried, snatching the Blaster from her. Jenny
stepped back and covered her eyes.

"I'm not watching."

Zhane fired the weapon, destroying the eggs. Then he put an arm
around Jenny and led her away. "Okay, it's done. We're leaving now."

Jenny sighed. "That was cruel."

"Hey, it's just business. It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do
it."

"They could've been my own kids....."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ahh, forget it."

The two teleported back. Who says that they weren't getting along?
Was Jenny actually reconsidering being a mother? Most of us would
doubt it. But she did feel bad for the youngsters. Zhane, on the other
hand, felt proud for saving the universe from the evil race. Also, Jenny's
ankle eventually recovered from the slumber snakebite completely.